Little.

I've knitted three of these caps now.
A simple, sweet pattern.
However, this one, like my first one, is too small for anyone in our house.
(My kids take after their father's side of the family in the head size department)
So I'm casting on another larger one with some of the remaining yarn, upsizing it beyond the pattern.
Fingers crossed I get it done in time for it to be worn before the warm weather really sets in for good...

Weeding

We are in the midst of a blissful spell of early spring like weather here. While it has killed any likelihood that we would take C to see some snow this winter, it has called us all outside to spend some time in the garden.

There has been clipping and pruning and sweeping and weeding, and there is more pruning and clipping and turning and fertilising intended as we'd like to get some edibles growing in the garden again.

Which is not to say that, despite complete and utter neglect over the last year or so, our garden has not been productive. Sure, the thyme has died, but the Rosemary and Vietnamese Mint have been flourishing. Amazingly there is one red fruit on the little Chilli that the Mint had over-run. The Silverbeet and Lettuce and Carrot that I let go to seed have had babies. Not just one or two, but billions of babies, in a wonderful display of how amazingly vigorous nature can be (and the perils of neglecting your veggies). Yesterday as we tended lawn, we were pulling up Lettuce and Carrot seedlings along with the other "more expectable" weed varieties.

The bunch of carrots above came from the veggie patch itself, a generous serving to contribute to dinner one night this week. Even better looking than the carrots I tried to grow. A reminder of how sweet and tasty fresh home grown foods can be, and some encouragement to pay it a little more attention this year.

hat box

Jumping on the bandwagon to do this very simple, quick and refreshing project.
(with a correspondingly quick blog post).
A hat for S.
Knit with Madelinetosh Vintage.
Lovely yarn.
Lovely pattern.
Great details.
More pics here.
Now what to cast on next....
Another one for C?
Or something else for A? or me?
Or some very fun and chunky "yarn"....

Sleepy head

You know things are quiet on the blogging front when you check the photos on the camera and realise you haven't downloaded them for ages. Little creative projects, that have become just another part of everyday life, haven't been shared with the blogosphere or sewingverse. Only a handful of friends have become aware of their existence, if any at all.

This little project, some sleep toys for A, has a bit of a "been there, done that" feel to it anyway. I made very similar toys for C when he was a similar age (and oh, my LORD, doesn't A look like her brother??! Just with more hair!). I made a set of 6, because if she becomes as attached to this little sleep reference as her brother is (he still takes his to bed each night) then they'll be getting a lot of wear, and we'll be needing one at the grandparents' homes and in the childcare bag, and always a spare one when one is in the wash, and just in case one is hiding somewhere...

Very simple description if you want to make some too: 
I used an old T shirt for the "heads", drew a round head shape with two ears (I did rounded for C's, and pointy for A's), and a bit of a neck for attaching to the "body". Seam the heads together keeping the neck open, turn, and put a bit of stuffing in. Stitch across the base of the "ears" and under the chin for a bit of definition. (I also did an extra line of stitching on the outside of A's for reinforcing, because I thought I'd done that on C's, but turns out I hadn't, and I wasn't going to bother unpicking it once I realised). For the body, two hankerchief sized squarish pieces of single layer muslin (cheesecloth) seamed together, capturing the head in the seam and leaving an opening to turn it out. Turn right side out and topstitch all the way around, reinforcing where the head is joined on and closing the turning opening. Tie some knots at the corners for hands. I didn't give them any faces, but I suppose you could if you wanted to.

Peekaboo!

Yes, I have been away from the computer.
Didn't realise quite how long though.
But I'm still here.
There was a 4yo birthday party, a few baby teeth arrived, some wonderful and long overdue catch-ups with creative friends and I've been knitting.
Knitting a lot of stocking stitch, to finish my Kakomu.
Well, nearly finish- I'm planning to knit the ties, but was contemplating sewing the front piece on the other way around, so that the seams are all inside with the front reverse stocking stitch out. In the interim I'm "test wearing" it. Perhaps it will help me decide. Or perhaps I will forget that I'm meant to be deciding about something. Quite likely given how easily it has slipped into my wardrobe. And given that I've already cast on my next project. Another one of Kirsten's fantastic designs. This time for my husband.